1. Perfect Together: Aligning and Leveraging SEAs and Parent Centers in Shared Work Helen Post and Kim Fratto January 10, :30 pm – 3:45 pm ET (11:30-12:45 PT) Note: The presentation is currently available on the CADRE website
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2. Perfect Together: Aligning and Leveraging SEAs and Parent Centers in Shared Work
Kim K. Fratto, M.Ed.
Education Coordinator, Special Education Services Section, Utah State Board of Education
Helen W. Post
Executive Director, Utah Parent Center
Utah’s Parent Training and Information Center

3. Trying stuff changes the world.
Perfect together…
Trying stuff changes the world.
Unknown

4. Historical Relationship
HWP
We want to begin by briefly introducing:
The Utah Parent Center (UPC) – which is Utah’s federally funded Parent Training and Information Center – or PTI – serving parents of children youth and young adults with disabilities AND
the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) – which is Utah’s State Education agency – or SEA – that provides leadership and support to local education agencies – or LEAs – as they serve students with disabilities.
Historical Relationship
Utah Parent Center (UPC) and the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) have been actively working together since 1983 when the UPC received their initial PTI grant.
Relationship has continued to develop and grow through contact, cooperation, and collaboration.
Aligning and leveraging resources in our shared work is what we have always done.

5. What Helps Our Partnership…
Proximity
We know each other
Communication
Many staff involved – sustainability of the relationship
Trusting and being trustworthy
Mutual respect
Culture based on the belief that we can’t do the work without each other!

6. Building on the Relationship – Authentic Engagement
Implemented a different way of defining collaboration and engaging stakeholders by moving beyond “informing” to creating opportunities for interaction, building consensus, and sharing leadership opportunities.
Relationships across stakeholder groups are aligned with The Collaboration Continuum.

7. What Helps Build Authentic Engagement…
Using a facilitator
Not starting over, but building on what you do well and committing to different kind of collaboration
Establishing common understanding and getting buy-in
Aligning and leveraging multiple initiatives to be complementary and to maximize efforts

8. Collaboration Continuum Graphic
Refer to your handout

9. Collaboration Continuum
Contact
Cooperation
Coordination
Collaboration
Convergence
Investment, Risk, and Benefit

10. Utah’s Activities Along the Collaboration Continuum
Contact
Open honest dialogue to engage parents
Focus groups to gain stakeholder feedback
Information sharing
Panel discussions
Facilitated discussions
Open invitation to provide feedback
More informed parent perspective and voice being incorporated in planning and implementation of initiatives

11. Utah’s Activities Along the Collaboration Continuum
Cooperation
Shared Goals
Sharing data (UPC to USBE and USBE to UPC)
Cross-training of staff
Identifying and working on common goals
Open invitation to participate in professional development
Leads to a common language and shared understanding of process, policy, activities and needs for all stakeholders involved

12. Utah’s Activities Along the Collaboration Continuum
Coordination
Shared Achievement of Goals
Direct involvement in plans, grant-writing, advisory roles, implementation responsibilities, etc.
Aligning activities with USBE and UPC shared goals
Reporting shared activities that support shared work
Collaborative development of materials and presentations
Increased capacity to identify, understand and implement relevant training for stakeholders across topics and initiatives

13. Utah’s Activities Along the Collaboration Continuum
Shared Resources
Funding to support UPC activities
UPC active on implementation and state leadership teams
High level of trust in the expertise of each agency
Co-presentations to LEA and stakeholder groups
Dissemination of materials for parent and LEA use
LEA specific collaboration to increase parent participation
Problem-solving and joint implementation of strategies to address areas of need
Increased parent awareness and knowledge about resources available to improve student outcomes

14. Utah’s Activities Along the Collaboration Continuum
Convergence
“Synthetic Infrastructure”
USBE and UPC have an ongoing, “extensive, engrained, and assumed” relationship that is part of the infrastructure
Relationship is planned and purposeful and requires ongoing maintenance
Invested in mutual success
Problem-solve and jointly implement strategies
A continued collaboration that withstands the test of time and changes in personnel

15. Other Collaborative Efforts
Indicator 8-Parent Survey
State monitoring team
Annual UMTSS conference
State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) for Parts B and C
Co-sponsor training events
Parent Book Studies
Parent handbooks (resource guides)
Co-presentations at conferences

16. Working on “Perfect”: Utah’s Areas to Improve
Contact: Increase our reach bringing in new families and stakeholders
Cooperation: Build supports that lead to increased cooperation among the LEA staff, parents and students
Coordination: Support LEAs in educating parents about UMTSS
Collaboration: Increase family engagement on all levels
Convergence: What does this look like? The parent to school relationship is extensive, engrained and assumed. Parents are involved at all levels. Communication is multi-directional, valued and consistent.

17. Questions? Thoughts?

18. Trying stuff changes the world.
Perfect together…
Trying stuff changes the world.
Unknown

19. Here’s to working together “perfectly”!

20. Thank you! Contact us…
Kim K. Fratto, M.Ed. Education Coordinator, Special Education Section Utah State Board of Education Helen W. Post Executive Director, Utah Parent Center

21. Thank you for joining us
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22. Upcoming Webinar Skilled Dialogue: Minding and Mining the Riches of Differences March 6, :30-12:45 PST Presenters: Isaura Barrera, Ph.D. and Lucinda Kramer, Ph.D. Registration Now Open – Check the CADRE Website!